SBS Worldwide has found it necessary to reorganise the movement of containers through its ocean freight forwarding network to speed up deliveries to its clients and help make the supply chain greener by taking unnecessary lorry journeys off UK roads. The full service freight forwarder and NVOCC, with a track record in supplying full load and consolidation services on all major shipping routes, has undertaken a three month business review of its previous container logistics operation.

This operation involves containers transiting Felixstowe and Southampton being trucked to and from the company’s hub at Dartford in Kent for consolidation and de-consolidation. The reorganisation will see SBS utilising dedicated warehousing space in Felixstowe and Southampton to allow consolidation and de-consolidation at the port; speeding up collections and deliveries of clients’ cargoes.

Steve Walker, SBS Worldwide Chairman, said that the realignment will benefit both clients and the environment: “Freight will be delivered quicker if it avoids the journey to or from our Dartford hub before being delivered to the consignee. We do not want to be restricted to shipping freight on vessels that arrive at ports, which suit the location of our Dartford handling depot.

“We want to serve our customers based on the port of arrival – our customers’ needs are of the greatest importance to us. Our HQ and oceanfreight operations office will still be in Dartford, but our warehousing and container logistics activities will be scaled down here as a result of our decision to utilise operators closer to the ports of entry and exit.

Steve adds: “Now, more than ever, the supply chain must examine itself to root out unnecessary road journeys. We decided that, having operated a warehouse in Dartford for 12 years, the time to re-evaluate our service offering had arrived. With rising diesel prices, growing congestion on UK motorways and roads and the need to drive carbon from the supply chain it made sense to look at another way of serving our clients which maintained the high level of service they expect yet delivers it in a more environmentally friendly manner. We are in consultation with our warehouse staff whilst the proposed new ocean operational strategy undergoes a trial period.”

“The reorganisation of our container logistics activities will be supported by SBS Worldwide’s bespoke cargo-tracking service – SBS Webtrack – which gives customers complete visibility over their container movements and will show them how much faster our deliveries will become.

“This move comes on the back of a strong financial year to June 2008, while the first six months trading of our 2008/2009 financial year has been in line with aggressive forecasts. These actions will continue to set standards which, since the company began trading 25 years ago, have placed SBS in a prominent position in the provision of groupage container services.”